When every drop counts: tapping beer cans does not lessen the volume lost upon opening

Clinical Question

Does tapping on the bottom of a shaken beer can lessen volume loss upon opening?

Bottom line

Well, this is sobering. Another example of a practice, fermented over time, that loses its head and falls flat under the pressure of the scientific method. Tapping a shaken beer can 3 times does not lessen, on average, the volume of beer lost when immediately opened. This study is limited in several ways, including the fact that there's no mention of whether the researchers waited until after completing the study to "dispose" of the contents of more than 1000 cans of beer. 5

Study design: Randomized controlled trial (nonblinded)

Funding: Industry

Setting: Other

Reviewer

Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD, MMedEd
Professor of Family Medicine
Tufts University
Boston, MA


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